Bangladesh has donated 20,000 tree saplings to the Maldives in support of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu's initiative to plant five million trees.

The saplings were officially handed over at a ceremony held at Lonuziyaaraiy Park on Sunday evening. Bangladesh's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Khalilur Rahman, presented the donation, which was received on behalf of the Maldives by Minister of Foreign Affairs Iruthisham Adam and Minister of Tourism and Environment Ali Shareef. The three ministers also took part in a tree-planting ceremony.

Speaking at the event, Minister Shareef said the donation reflects the close ties between the Maldives and Bangladesh. He noted that the Government aims to plant five million trees over the next five years to enhance the country's green environment.

Foreign Minister Iruthisham described the initiative as an investment in future generations and reaffirmed the Maldives' commitment to strengthening environmental cooperation with Bangladesh.

Dr Khalilur Rahman said the Maldives and Bangladesh, as climate-vulnerable nations, would continue working together to address the challenges of climate change. He added that gifting trees is a longstanding tradition in Bangladesh.

The 20,000 saplings mark the largest tree donation ever made to the Maldives by a foreign country. The previous largest donation was 1,000 trees from Sri Lanka.